Duck foot -fyi- history

[Eric Sedletzky]

Voit Vikings, perhaps?

Yes!! Voit Vikings, thank you!

I just saw them on Nemrods post with the pics.
It makes sense since Voit seemed to be the brand they used almost exclusively on that show.
What about the design of those fins? How come nobody makes a fin like those anymore.
Now all we have for new fin designs are weird split designs or designs with springs or tension cords, or ones that flip up??? or some other come and go craze.

Maybe it's time to get into the retro fin business?
It seems that some of those original designs are still the best.

Hmmmm.

 

[duckbill]

The very first Vikings had the sides of different lengths as you described, like the Churchills. The later, much more common Vikings with which we are more familiar are the ones in Nemrod's picture. Both side ribs are the same length, most were blue with black foot pockets, and the white "Voit Viking" logo with the Viking ship is on the tops of the blades.

I have seen the early model in the early Sea Hunt episodes.

 

[Nemrod]

The A66 Vikings were sold more at dive supply stores whereas the cheaper Skindiver and Viking A6 were a common department store fin.

The Viking A66 is a powerful fin, every bit as powerful as the UDT and more flexible and much easier to swim with over distance. They are a great fin. The more common A6 is OK for pool play but for pushing a scuba diver, the A66 is the one you want to get the job done. The A66 is longer, wider, stiffer with an extra partial rib on the underside.

I believe these are A6 in the pic above, no center rib, shorter blade and they are playing in the swimming pool, lol .


N

 

[David Wilson]

Yes!! Voit Vikings, thank you! What about the design of those fins? How come nobody makes a fin like those anymore.

It's indeed a pity that unlike the Duck Feet moulds, the Viking fin moulds, A6 or A66, don't seem to have survived. I have a pair of A6s, obtained via eBay, as they never made it across the Atlantic to be retailed in Europe. I like the way that the heels are taller than in most full-foot fins, allowing more of the ankle to be accommodated, and the fins themselves represent a classic, streamlined design, but very different from the Cressi Rondine prototype.

Now all we have for new fin designs are weird split designs or designs with springs or tension cords, or ones that flip up??? or some other come and go craze. Maybe it's time to get into the retro fin business? seems that some of those original designs are still the best. Hmmmm.

I share your despair about the state of much modern fin design. The company which supplies these full-foot fins to the US market

doesn't make them available to the UK public, providing British customers with the following instead:

I'm at a loss to understand why every one of my compatriots would prefer such a gimmicky, tortuous, Tupperware product to the classic elegance of the US-supplied design.

Talking of the retro fin business, there are plenty of classic fin designs still in production around the world. The fifteen countries continuing to manufacture them are the USA, France, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Japan. The problem rests more with the distribution of these fin designs in the western world, where big international diving equipment companies seem determined to restrict their fin output to products made from petroleum derivatives. Fortunately for vintage equipment divers seeking modern fins made from traditional materials, there are some online retailers prepared to satisfy demand, although international shipping charges can be prohibitive.

 

[Nemrod]

Holy cow, those orange things are reason enough to justify emigration, remaining on the same island with them must be challenging, I admire your stamina.

I wonder what happened to the Viking molds, whose dusty garage shelf might they sit on? The Viking is a fin that could be updated for modern retail consumers. There are lot's of people who do not respect "old triangle shaped fins" but then they dive Jet Fins that are nearly as old.

Classic fins even including Jets and certainly UDTs, Churchills and Vikings have an organic inspiration whereas many of today's offerings seem to be designed to look stupid first and function is just a secondary outcome.

N

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I think the design of the Viking style fin is still the best. Jets are already starting to get gimicky with the vents. I think that might have been the beginning of making fins with bling to try and lure the public into believing they were buying something really scientifically proven and cutting edge with the vents. Don't get me wrong, I like jets, that's what I'm using now, but I think a simpler tapered thickness rubber moulded fin with an outer rib on each side seems the most natural to me. The tapered thickness gives a graduated flexibility so the tips are soft and everything around the foot pocket is fairly rigid.

 

[Nemrod]

I think the design of the Viking style fin is still the best. Jets are already starting to get gimmicky with the vents. I think that might have been the beginning of making fins with bling to try and lure the public into believing they were buying something really scientifically proven and cutting edge with the vents. Don't get me wrong, I like jets, that's what I'm using now, but I think a simpler tapered thickness rubber molded fin with an outer rib on each side seems the most natural to me. The tapered thickness gives a graduated flexibility so the tips are soft and everything around the foot pocket is fairly rigid.

I contend the vents on Jets are of little or no value and I have taped them over and found no discernible swimming difference. N

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I have two pairs of Duck Feet fins, and they great fins. One is an original Spearfisherman, and the other is the Giant UDT model. The latter is more worn, and has gotten more flexible with age. THe Spearfisherman looks like it was when new, and is a great representation of this fin. Even being the "giant" variety, the foot pocket on them will not accommodate a thick wet suit boot. To tell the truth, the Scubapro Jet Fin's biggest advantage is the foot pocket, which was larger and more comfortable than the Duck Foot fin worn right-side up. But I wore them for years upside down, and that made them more comfortable. When wet suit boots were made with soles (instead of the older style "booties" without soles), the Duck Feet would no longer fit for cold water diving.

In answer to Dr. Sam Miller's question about what was worn with the Duck Feet, Swimaster had a boot that was fairly thin, and made to be worn with the Duck Feet. It protected from coral and other rocks, but not from cold. Here are some photos of the Duck Feet fins in use, with the booties. These are both the original and the AMF Voit types, and were taken during our training in 1967 at the US Naval School for Underwater Swimmers in Key West, Florida:

You can see the bootie that was being worn by Harry Krause with the Duck Feet. One of the guys, Bob Cassidy, is wearing the AMF Viking, which he had purchased (Duck Feet were issued fins at the US Naval School for Underwater Swimmers at that time).

Here is the reason the bootie was so nice:

We had to exit onto the coral sand, which was quite course and could cause foot injuries.

Here is a boat exit with the Duck Feet being pretty obvious:

I used the USD Aqualung fins on one required swim, and hated them in 1967 or so. They were stiffer, and gave me foot cramps. So I was pleasantly surprised to pick up a pair off E-Bay, and try them in the pool. The pair I have is not as stiff as what I remember from my USAF days, and comparable to the Duck Feet in my opinion now. More later...

SeaRat

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have two pairs of Duck Feet fins, and they great fins. One is an original Spearfisherman, and the other is the Giant UDT model. The latter is more worn, and has gotten more flexible with age. THe Spearfisherman looks like it was when new, and is a great representation of this fin. Even being the "giant" variety, the foot pocket on them will not accommodate a thick wet suit boot. To tell the truth, the Scubapro Jet Fin's biggest advantage is the foot pocket, which was larger and more comfortable than the Duck Foot fin worn right-side up. But I wore them for years upside down, and that made them more comfortable. When wet suit boots were made with soles (instead of the older style "booties" without soles), the Duck Feet would no longer fit for cold water diving.

In answer to Dr. Sam Miller's question about what was worn with the Duck Feet, Swimaster had a boot that was fairly thin, and made to be worn with the Duck Feet. It protected from coral and other rocks, but not from cold. Here are some photos of the Duck Feet fins in use, with the booties. These are both the original and the AMF Voit types, and were taken during our training in 1967 at the US Naval School for Underwater Swimmers in Key West, Florida:

You can see the bootie that was being worn by Harry Krause with the Duck Feet. One of the guys, Bob Cassidy, is wearing the AMF Viking, which he had purchased (Duck Feet were issued fins at the US Naval School for Underwater Swimmers at that time).

Here is the reason the bootie was so nice:

We had to exit onto the coral sand, which was quite course and could cause foot injuries.

Here is a boat exit with the Duck Feet being pretty obvious:

I used the USD Aqualung fins on one required swim, and hated them in 1967 or so. They were stiffer, and gave me foot cramps. So I was pleasantly surprised to pick up a pair off E-Bay, and try them in the pool. The pair I have is not as stiff as what I remember from my USAF days, and comparable to the Duck Feet in my opinion now. More later...

SeaRat

Those photos are fantastic!!
Thanks for sharing. Are those Royal Aquamasters?

I'd like to see the new DIR school try and make a comment about those photos and how things were done back then. You guys were tough as nails and ripped! That was real diving. I'm envious, even though I was only 5 years old at the time, I'm still jealous.

As a matter of fact, I was on the phone today with a friend who just happens to have a pair of black UTD Duck Feet in size large. He also has a pair of the blue Aqualung fins that look almost the same as Duck Feet in size XL - my size. He said I could use them anytime I want.

Add:
The same guy I was refering to above used those Duck Feet to win several freediving spearfishing championships back in the early 70's also. That was the fin of choice for freedivers back then apparently. This was before long fins came out. I asked him what he and his buddies thought of jetfins back then and he said everybody thought they sucked. One guys opinion I guess?

 

[Paladin]

My favorite fin was the USD Otarie. Sadly, USD stopped making them years ago and my last pair finally succumbed to rot last year. I am now using a fin that Aqualung calls "Otarie" in Australia and sells in the US under the names of "Sea Star" by Deep See (an Aqualung company) and Deep Blue Gear's "Aquanaut." It's a good fin, just not quite as stiff as the old Otarie. David Wilson has told me of a fin made in Japan called the "Gull Hard Mew" that he says is very comparable to the old Otarie. They are a bit costly but I think I'll get a pair and try them out.